A/N Thanks again for PM's and reviews and for showing support of the fic. Special shout out goes to Seemo. Sorry for making you wait this long. LOL. Enjoy!

Disclaimer ~ I don't own POI or any of its characters.

"I told you to go," he grunted.

"I don't leave anybody behind," she said.

When Carter got to the drop off point, their contact was nowhere to be found. The pouch containing the mysterious contents of the briefcase was a burden she wanted to rid herself of, and quickly. Her mind was on the events of the evening, having to bare herself in front of Klaus, and having to put her trust in someone who'd not long ago been a part of Mark Snow's plan to set her up. It hadn't been easy despite the fact that they'd slept together since, but she was grateful that he'd come through and hadn't let Klaus get to her. He was practically chomping at the bit to do so. This assignment was crazy, she thought, and they'd been sent there by Mark Snow.

Mark Snow.

She hadn't been sure about him from the very beginning. There was the wicked gleam in his eye, the smile that never felt warm, and the question on whether to trust him or shoot him. The longer she waited for their contact, the more she began to think that it was no mere coincidence that she was chosen for this job, no matter what John said. Not only did she fit the racial profile of the type of woman Klaus desired sexually, but Carter was sure, now more than ever, that Snow had to have known about Dawid's friendship with the financier, and he had to have known about her connection to Amelia. Either he wanted her and Reese to get caught or he knew there was a possibility they could be compromised because of her friend. There were questions that needed to be answered, and she would make sure he satisfied her curiosity about each and every one of them.

She inclined her head to the right, hearing the sound of approaching footsteps on the gravel behind her. She reached for her gun and turned around.

"Carter?"

The lone question seemed to come out of the dark, as did the dark figure slowly approaching her.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Newman," he said, walking steadily toward her. "You can lower that now," he said, looking at her gun. The streetlight lent some illumination to his face and his features became clearer. He was tall with broad shoulders, and an athletic physique. His dark hair fell over his forehead and curled slightly at his nape. With thick brows and a slight grin on his mouth, Carter thought he looked almost playful and not nearly as intense as Reese was.

"Newman?" she huffed out a low chuckle. Though she and John had been given the name prior to their arrival, her experience in Poland had made her a little suspicious. "So you do exist." She handed him the pouch and he loosened the drawstring looking at the canister inside. He seemed to recognize it, but didn't comment as he slid it back into the pouch.

"Word is you made quite a mess back at the Berger's," he said. "Shame I couldn't have been there to see it firsthand."

"And who told you that?"

"The local news, of course," he replied, looking around. "Where's your partner?"

"Not here," she replied coldly. "You have any idea what that is?" she asked.

"Yes," was all he said, staring back at her.

He knew, she thought, he knew exactly what it was. She looked at him expectantly, and waited for him to elaborate. His silence indicated however that he had no intention of doing that. Snow had told her before that they didn't need to know what was in the briefcase. She was sure the fact that they'd opened it would come up later, but Reese needed medical attention back at the motel, so she didn't press the issue further.

"It was nice meeting you, Carter," he said, as she started to walk away. She glanced over her shoulder at him, but didn't stop.

Amelia picked up her cell phone from the bureau drawer and walked into the bathroom. Her heart was beating fast as she dialed the one contact number she had for Carter. It rang over and over, but she got no answer.

After a heated exchange of words, she felt that Dawid bought her story about not knowing Joss. For a moment when he looked into her eyes, she thought he would push it further, but he didn't. After apologizing to her for being so abrupt he evaded her questions about what was really going on between him and Klaus. He wouldn't answer however, and left the room to make a phone call. He sat in the living room section of their suite and she could hear him speaking angrily on the phone. She wasn't sure who was on the other end of the phone, but something told her she needed to get in contact with Joss.

"Come on, come on. Pick up the phone, Joss," she silently pleaded as she dialed the number again. The voicemail sounded again, and this time she decided to leave a message.

"Joss, it's me, Amelia. I don't know what's going on with you and your husband…or Klaus, but if you're still at the mansion, you need to get out. I don't know what's going on with Dawid either, but…he isn't acting like himself. I'm really scared something bad is about to happen, and I don't want you to get hurt. Please take care of yourself…or at least -"

"Amelia…"

She froze, her heart hammering rapidly, but she turned around slowly with a smile plastered on her face.

"Da, you scared me. Don't sneak up on me like that."

"Why are you on the phone in the bathroom?"

The sound of his voice was even more menacing than it was earlier. His eyes looked thunderous, and she wondered at the phone call he was on. She was terrified as he started to move closer.

"Who are you talking to, Amelia?"

Carter pulled into the parking lot of Podgorica Clinic and got out. She was about to walk through the front entrance when her cell phone rang. She answered impatiently, wondering who was on the other end.

"Carter."

"Newman says he got the package."

Mark Snow.

His voice sounded smug, and she felt something inside her rising swiftly to the surface. It had been a slow build, forming tentatively within the moments when she first woke up in the safe house in Poland. The sound of his voice on the other end of the phone immediately sparked it, and its ferocity surprised her.

"Yes, he did," she replied tightly.

"He said you came alone. Where's John?"

"At a motel. He was shot."

"How bad is it?"

"He lost a lot of blood. I'm about to get a doctor for him right now, so I can't talk."

"There's an agent in the city. You can go to her for help instead. She's a new recruit, like you. We're using her for surveillance at the moment, but she's a trained doctor. She can help you out with whatever you need."

She didn't want to say thank you. After everything they'd been through in the last few hours, she felt he didn't deserve gratitude from either of them.

"Did you tell anyone else that you sent us?"

"What do you mean, Carter?"

"You know exactly what I mean, Mark; Dawid and Amelia Belka. Is it really just a coincidence that you sent us up here without knowing that Amelia and I were friends and that her husband is a longtime friend of Klaus?"

"While we were researching your background that piece of information might have come up, yes."

"And you didn't think to warn us about it? I'm beginning to think you wanted us to get caught, that this was more than just us going after the briefcase."

"About the briefcase, and you handling what was inside..."

"We had to leave under fire, it would have slowed us down," she answered dismissively. "You didn't answer my question. Did you tell Dawid Belka that we were coming?"

No, I didn't."

"Somehow I don't believe you, Mark."

"Well that's your prerogative, Carter. You need to get Reese some help. There's more work for you to do in Italy, so hurry up."

Sameen Shaw was a short, slim, but fit young woman. Her long dark hair framed dramatic eyes, a straight nose, and a full mouth. She was in her early thirties, with a cold gaze, and a commanding demeanor. When she got a call from someone named Carter who explained that Snow had said she would help, she jumped at the chance at getting into some field work. She'd been one of the best in her group back at The Farm, but instead of putting her out into the field on a case, she'd been stuck doing surveillance on an arms dealer for the past month. All she'd done was take pictures, listen to audio recordings, and document his comings and goings. She was bored out of her mind, and she was anxious to do more.

Joss Carter looked wary of her; as if she wasn't quite sure she could trust her. She couldn't blame her really, she too was suspicious of people she'd just met whether they were a part of the agency or not. There was a quiet restraint to her words despite the overall look of urgency on her face, and Shaw was intrigued. After Carter explained that she needed her medical skills not her combat ones, she was initially disappointed, but she figured anything was better than being stuck in the seedy apartment she was staying in. She sat next to her in silence as they made the drive back to the motel. They got out of the car and entered the room, and Shaw finally put eyes on her patient. He lay in the middle of the motel bed, bundled up and his eyes were closed. She dropped the big medical bag near the bed as Carter rushed over and stood beside her.

"Is he unconscious?" Shaw asked, opening his eyes to take a look. Suddenly his hand moved out from under the covers and he pointed his gun straight at her.

"Easy there, John. She's here to help."

Shaw turned to Carter, noting the gentle tone in her voice, and when she looked back at John, his face showed visible relief at the sight of her and he lowered his gun.

"Yeah easy there, John. I'm Shaw. You want this hole stitched up or not?"

"Joss," he said. His voice was raspy.

"It's okay," Carter said, and sat next to him, taking his hand.

Shaw couldn't help but note the tender undertone between them. Were they partners or something more? She took his pulse, and though it was a little weak, it was still steady. She pulled the covers off of him and peeled back the bandages that Carter had so neatly applied.

"Did you give him anything?"

"Something for pain, yes," Carter answered, and told her the dosage of medication that she'd given him.

"What about food, did he eat this evening? Had anything to drink at all?"

"A little something over dinner, some champagne."

"Okay," she said, and took out a few items and spread them out on the table in the room. She went into the bathroom and washed her hands vigorously, sliding gloves onto them afterwards.

"I'm gonna need your help, Carter."

"What do you need?"

"I'll give him some *Lidocaine, clean up the wound and apply the sutures. I just need you to monitor his vitals for me, his BP, pulse, can you do that?"

"Yes," she answered.

Based on the communication between Carter and the woman she'd brought with her, Reese deduced that she hadn't been forced to help, she'd come willingly. She was either another of Carter's contacts or Snow had sent her to assist. He guessed it was the latter. He was pleased that not only had Carter returned with a doctor, but she'd come back in one piece.

He felt nothing as she applied the stitches; the local anesthesia had kicked in pretty quickly. Carter moved her hand out of his and checked his pulse. While she looked slightly concerned about him, he sensed a slight change in her. Something had happened, and he wanted to know what. They needed to talk about tonight, what happened in Klaus' bedroom, all of it. He needed to know if she was okay.

Something was wrong.

It was almost 4am, and Carter left the hotel room heading outside with Shaw. She was tired, and what she wanted most was to get some rest. Shaw on the other hand looked as if the past hour had invigorated her. Her energy was different somehow. She was an adrenaline junkie, Carter guessed, and smiled. No wonder she ended up in the CIA instead of working as a surgeon in a hospital. Her time cooped up doing surveillance was probably driving her crazy.

"When does Mark intend to give you something to do?" she asked as they walked to the car.

"I don't know, but I hope it's soon," she answered, grinning. "Am I that obvious?"

"I'm afraid you are. Nothing wrong with wanting to get your feet wet, though. There's nothing like the thrill of being out there, deep in the action, feeling like you're doing something good in the world."

"Was this your first mission?"

"With the agency, yes. But this isn't my first rodeo."

Shaw looked at her, visibly fascinated. She wanted to know more. Any other night Carter would be happy to share stories of her platoon, their missions, rescues and close calls. Tonight, she was on the verge of numbness and wasn't sure how to compartmentalize everything she was feeling at the moment.

"If you turn out to be as good an agent as you seem to be at medicine, Snow will be lucky to have you."

"Thanks. But you didn't do too badly yourself. You did great packing his wound. Celox can be dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. Your partner is lucky to have you."

"Yeah we were both lucky tonight."

Carter looked past Shaw to the motel room door, thinking of John just beyond it. He'd be off his feet for a few weeks at least. They wouldn't be able to travel to Italy right away like Snow wanted. In fact, they needed to move to another motel, preferably one out of the city, and soon. They couldn't stay put. Someone would come looking for them.

"I wouldn't suggest moving him for at least another couple days. He's a big guy, but he needs to rest for a while, regain his strength," Shaw said, guessing at her thoughts.

"Thank you," Carter said finally, and opened the car door. Instead of getting in, she stood with the door open and looked over at Shaw. "Do you mind driving yourself back home?"

"What?"

"Just take the car-" Carter walked around to the passenger's side and handed her the keys. "Take the keys, and just….I'll pick it up sometime tomorrow."

"Sure, I understand."

Carter sighed, grateful that she didn't have to make the journey back across town and said goodnight.

"Hey," Shaw said. "I know Snow doesn't think I'm ready yet, but…with your partner down and all…I mean…if you need an assist in the next couple days…with anything...just call."

She nodded her head acknowledging the offer, and watched as Shaw got in the car and drove off.

Reese felt as if he would fall asleep pretty soon. Still he watched the door with sleepy eyes, waiting for Carter to return. It was almost morning, and soon daylight would start to peek through the curtains. He didn't want to fall asleep until she was next to him. He wouldn't allow himself to, not till he knew she was safe.

It wasn't long after Carter had left, that the door opened again and she walked inside. She closed it behind her, but leaned on the door, unmoving. She looked exhausted, just as he was.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I let her take the car. I'll just get it tomorrow. How are you feeling?"

"Tired, drowsy."

She nodded her head. "You should get some sleep," she said.

"Come here," he said, and she walked over to the bed and sat down.

"You could have died, John. If I'd left like you asked….you could have died."

"You had the canister, you had Klaus…it was better for you to escape and complete the mission. I wanted you to be safe. Besides, I was right behind you." He traced his finger over the stitches on her arm and she shivered at the touch.

"This wasn't a good idea, you and me..." she said quietly. As she lay down next to him, the heaviness she felt permeated the room. He felt as if he'd tainted her somehow. The light that had emanated from her when they first met was getting dimmer by the second, and he wished that he could stop it.

"I know," he answered, looking at her.

She frowned, and he couldn't help but wonder if she hadn't wanted his honesty right now. Maybe she was looking for assurances that everything would be okay. He watched a knot form between her brows and he swallowed.

"It doesn't get any easier, Joss. It's gonna get harder, much harder, in fact. Getting attached to someone in our line of work…it isn't a wise thing. It wasn't a good idea for us to get involved, no, but…I don't regret it…and I wouldn't take it back."

He wished she would look at him, but she kept her eyes fixed on the ceiling. Finally he felt a rustling on the bed between them, and she wrapped her fingers around his. He squeezed her hand, pulling it closer to him.

"I wouldn't take it back, either, John."

He felt a weight lifted off him, just as his eyes started to close. "I really want to kiss you right now," he whispered.

She chuckled briefly. "Go to sleep, John."

"No, kiss me, Joss."

A heavy blanket of slumber overcame him just as he uttered her name. He only felt the slightest touch of her lips on his before he finally drifted off.

A/N Lidocaine is a local anasthetic.